of Barry County
Serenity Village is neither. Most accurately, we are a compassion home that offers support and services to families with a terminally ill loved one who is in hospice care. To be admitted, a new resident must already be under the care of a licensed hospice which will continue to provide care. We are not licensed as a nursing home or foster care home, and do not affiliate with any particular hospice agency.
The fees for staying at Serenity Village are not covered by insurance. Patients are charged a per-day fee for their length of stay at Serenity Village. We rely on a combination of patient fees, donations, memorial gifts, and public support to provide services to our families. We are an organization supported by our community, for our community, through fees, gifts, and donations from people like you. Without such support, we cannot continue to stay open.
Serenity is staffed by trained caregivers and volunteers, many of whom have hospice or medical backgrounds. We will rely heavily on volunteers to provide care to residents and other support for Serenity Village. Please contact us if you would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer!
You are encouraged to provide as much care for your loved one as you are able. This is their home for a short time. When you are tired, you are encouraged to rest, either here or at home, and allow our staff to take over. Families are required to provide meals for their loved one.
Your hospice nurse will continue to see and care for your loved one at Serenity Village. The hospice chaplain may continue to visit and hospice volunteers will be encouraged to come and spend time as before. The Hospice Nurse is still in charge of the medical care under the physician’s direction and our staff will always be guided by their direction.
All residents at Serenity are expected to be hospice patients prior to admission. Serenity Village is for short term care at the end of life and residents admitted must be certified by their hospice team to be “actively dying.” While there are various interpretations of this term, our intention is to welcome patients who are within their final few weeks of life as determined by their hospice team. All admissions are expected to have signed a “do not resuscitate” order with the hospice prior to admission. As our residents have a very short life expectancy, we require that funeral arrangements be completed prior to admission.
If you were accustomed to medicating your loved one at home, you may certainly continue to do so. If you are not available, our staff will do so in the same way. We will be guided at all times by the hospice nurse. If there are questions, the hospice nurse will be consulted.